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When Peggy Kennedy says she's working near capacity, she's no
longer talking in terms of late nights at the office, polishing
PowerPoint presentations. For Kennedy, who formerly worked in
financial services on the East Coast and found refuge as a West
Coast pet-care industry franchise owner, nowadays it's about the
time she and her staff spend caring for clients of the
four-legged variety.

"I'm working all the time--weekends, vacations, I'm always
checking in. And I'm adding administrative staff just to keep
up," says Kennedy, referring to the
Fetch! Pet Care franchise she's been running in the Los
Angeles area since 2006. Buoyed by a largely word-of-mouth
clientele sprinkled with Hollywood celebs and their pets, her
pet-sitting and dog-walking operation hit all-time highs this
summer for monthly revenue, grossing more than $30,000, up from
$1,500 in its early days.

The revenue surge by Kennedy's operation, one of 140 Fetch!
franchises in 32 states, even caught the attention of Fetch! CEO
Paul Mann, who founded the company in 2002. Aware that Kennedy
was logging long hours at work, Mann says he recently urged her
to "slow down and get some [administrative] support."

If Kennedy is working too hard, it's because of her passion for
companion animals. When she's not managing a force of 40
part-time contractors, she's volunteering at a local animal
shelter or bringing pets into her home for foster care. "One
thing that's really admirable about Peggy is her volunteer work.
That woman just has the biggest heart," Mann says.

Being a successful Fetch! franchisee also demands a skill set
strong in operations, marketing, staffing and managing people,
Mann explains. "Obviously these are people who love pets. Often
they come from a job in middle management, looking for something
they can have as their own," he says.

Kennedy more than fits the bill, Mann says: "We got lucky with
Peg. She absolutely represents what this business is about. She's
loving and caring, reliable, professional and smart, with a good
head for running a business. She's always asking us questions and
learning. That's been a key to her success."

In 2005, when Kennedy abandoned her corporate cubicle at Capital
One in Boston to move west with her husband, she resolved to turn
her lifelong love of animals into work in the pet-care field.
After a stint volunteering at an animal shelter in Utah, she
found Fetch! and initially worked as a dog trainer and walker for
another franchisee near L.A., then as a franchise owner herself.

Beyond word-of-mouth, Kennedy has relied on networking with other
pet-care professionals (groomers, veterinarians, etc.), and more
recently on social media marketing tools, including Facebook,
Twitter and a new blog, to help the 5-year-old franchise succeed
in a business that's both highly seasonal and highly vulnerable
to economic downturns.

"She's in the business for the love of the business, not to get
rich," Mann says. "That's a good place to be coming from."

"I'm not getting rich by any means, but we're paying the bills,
and I make my own hours doing something I love. It's a
different--and nice--lifestyle, " Kennedy says.

Then there are the perks: spending quality time with animals,
some of which come with a celebrity attachment. As busy as she's
been, Kennedy has been forced to relinquish some clients to her
contractors. Still, she says she gets the pick of the litter: "A
few of the stars I've held onto."